du provided AED5 million in bill relief to businesses impacted during the recent conflict period, while relaxing financial controls to ease cash flow pressures, its Chief Commercial Officer Karim Benkirane revealed.
“During the recent conflict period, we made a deliberate decision to stand firmly beside our business customers at their most challenging moment,” Benkirane told Lana in an exclusive interview.
“We provided AED5 million in bill relief to businesses directly impacted, relaxed financial controls to ease immediate cash flow pressures, and actively supported a range of business continuity initiatives across affected sectors,” he explained, adding that du’s support for Blooming Box was an example of helping companies continue operating during disruption.
Benkirane’s comments come as du expands its business services beyond telecoms, with him saying the company is moving from connectivity into business support, AI tools and digital services for entrepreneurs and SMEs.
du moves beyond telecoms into SME support
“We are evolving from a connectivity provider into a full-scale digital ecosystem, and that evolution is well underway,” he said, adding entrepreneurs and small business owners in the UAE are asking for more than telecom services.
He said demand from customers now extends beyond standalone telecom services, with entrepreneurs and small business owners seeking a provider that can reduce operational friction and allow them to focus on growth.
Businesses, he added, need reliable connectivity, contracts that reflect how they work, and easier access to the services required to run their operations.
“Their pain points are clear. That is why demand is increasingly centered around three things,” he explained.
“First, reliable and secure connectivity that gives business owners confidence to operate from anywhere, whether that is an office, home, co-working space or on the move. Second, flexibility, because many entrepreneurs do not operate on fixed, traditional business models and need plans that can scale, pause or adapt as their requirements change. Third, they want an all-in-one experience, where essential business support services such as compliance, invoicing, payroll, communications and digital tools come together through one trusted provider,” he added, revealing AI is changing du’s role with customers, with du Launchpad at the centre of that shift.
“AI is changing the nature of what a telco can be for its customers, and du Launchpad is the clearest expression of that shift in what we have brought to market,” he said.
Through du Launchpad, freelancers and home-based entrepreneurs can access AI-powered accounting, compliance tools and workflows, with AI also allowing du to predict what businesses may need.
“We can anticipate what a business needs before they realise they need it, whether that means flagging that a growing team is approaching plan capacity or proactively recommending solutions as a startup transitions into a more established company,” he said, adding that du Launchpad was built to reduce back-office work for SMEs.
“Beyond connectivity, we launched du Launchpad, the UAE’s first telco-led AI-powered super platform for SME growth to consolidate the back-office functions that cost entrepreneurs time and resource,” he said.
Built with Peko, the platform includes accounting, HRMS and payroll management, corporate tax filing, WhatsApp Business integration and invoicing.
“For sectors like professional services, retail and e-commerce, F&B, healthcare and construction, where compliance obligations are constant and operationally demanding, this is a direct response to a real burden,” he said.
He said du is also building platforms that will extend into business payments, ICT software and managed services through a single B2B portal. Another way that du is helping SMEs is through simplified onboarding, non-contract options, low-documentation processes and digital-first journeys.
“Our partnership with SME in a Box, the Dubai Economy and Tourism (DET) and Dubai SME flagship initiative, is a strong example of this in action. As the initiative’s exclusive telco partner, we offer members mobile and fixed connectivity solutions with security and productivity tools built in, designed to give businesses a genuine digital advantage from the moment they are set up,” he said.
UAE business customers expect services built around growth
However, according to Benkirane, expectations in the UAE telecom market have changed, with business customers seeking services that match their stage of growth.
“The UAE business customer is among the most digitally sophisticated in the world, and that raises the bar for every provider in this market,” he said. “What has shifted most noticeably is the expectation of relevance.”
“Business customers want a partner who understands their specific stage of growth, compliance obligations, cost pressures and ambitions. Predictability matters enormously: clear pricing structures, transparent contracts and complete visibility over usage and spend,” he continue, adding that du is investing in its B2B portal and customer experience.
“From first enquiry to account management, the digital experience needs to feel like it was built for a modern business, because it was.”
Moreover, Benkirane said 5G will support future growth by giving SMEs access to services that were previously tied to larger IT systems.
“A small logistics company can implement real-time fleet tracking. A healthcare startup can deliver remote consultations with the reliability of in-person care. A retail business can deploy smart inventory management and customer analytics at meaningful scale,” he said, adding 5G is also part of the UAE’s digital infrastructure plans.
Benkirane said the UAE’s ambitions to become a preferred global startup hub, attract talent and investment, and lead in AI adoption and digital innovation depend on connectivity infrastructure. Looking ahead, du sees growth opportunities in private 5G networks, IoT integration, edge computing and AI-powered network management, he revealed.
However, affordability and innovation can work together when products are designed around business needs, he added.
“Our belief is that affordability and innovation are complementary when you design solutions with the customer’s reality at the centre. Every entrepreneur deserves tools and connectivity delivered at a price point that works for their size and stage. That is why du Launchpad offers a free entry-level package for business owners just getting started, alongside a premium bundle that unlocks the platform’s full suite of services for those who need the complete toolkit. The goal is that no entrepreneur should be priced out of running a compliant, professionally equipped business,” he said.
Benkirane said du offers tiered and flexible connectivity plans, ranging from entry-level packages for new businesses to its Ultimate tier for companies with more advanced requirements.
He added that, for many entrepreneurs, flexibility is as important as price. Seasonal businesses, project-based freelancers, Global Village traders and pop-up retail operators often cannot commit to long-term contracts, he said, making du’s non-contract and pause-plan options a response to how these businesses operate.
5G and agentic AI to shape next phase of SME services
As for the next phase, Benkirane said AI will move beyond automation into agentic AI. “We also see the next phase of AI moving beyond automation into agentic AI, where intelligent tools do not just support tasks, but can take action across workflows such as compliance, invoicing, scheduling and service management. For entrepreneurs and SMEs, that has the potential to remove an entirely new layer of operational burden.”
However, access to AI tools is not enough and SMEs need support in using them, according to him.
“At du, we want to play a leading role in that journey, including to upskill small businesses in how to adopt and apply agentic AI in practical, responsible and commercially meaningful ways. You will also see us deepen our presence in the UAE’s innovation ecosystem, through roadshows, government partnerships, accelerator programmes and flagship industry events, to ensure that du Business is present at every meaningful stage of a company’s growth,” he concluded.
